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' M el.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

r M. W. NEUENS.

CHAIR. I No. 571,536.] Patented Nov. 17, 1896.

M. W..NEUENS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Patexited Nov. 17, 1896.

L) W Q QT UNITE rArns ATENT FFICE.

MICHAEL V. NEUENS, OF PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO REINIIARD STELLING, OF SAME PLACE.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,536, dated November 17, 1896.

Application filed May 12, 1896. erial No- 591,Z62. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MICHAEL W. NEUENS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Port \Vashington, in the county of Ozaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple,econo1nical rocking-chair of the platform variety; andit consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved platform rockingchair partly broken away and in section; Fig. 2, a plan view of the platform and seat inverted, certain of the parts being broken away and in section; Fig. 3, a front elevation of the chair, having parts thereof broken away and in section; Fig. 4, a detail hori-' zontal section, illustrating the snperstru cture and back connection; Fig. 5, a detail elevation, partly in transverse section, also illustrating said connection; Fig. 6, a detail elevation, partly in longitudinal section, still further illustrating the aforesaid connection; Fig. 7, a horizontal sectional View showing the manner in which a stationary back-see tion is connected to standards of the superstructure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A A represent parallel standards united by rounds I) to form the base portion of a platform roclc ing-chair embodying myimprovements, the upper edges of said standards being preferably curved to facilitate the rocking action of the superstructure portion of said chair.

Bolted or otherwise rigidly secured at one end to the rocker edge of each base-standard A is a primarily straight flat plate B, of springsteel, and the other end of this plate is likewise connected to the rockeredge of another standard 0, constituting part of a frame for the support of the chair-seat D, the latter being generally upholstered, as herein shown. That end of each spring-plate B secured to the rocker edge of a seat-frame standard is necessarily bent upward, and thus a spring connection is had between the chainbase and superstructure almost the entire length of said plate, the bend of the latter increasing as said superstructure is rocked toward the rear and decreasing when the rocking action is reversed. The spring-rocker plates being arranged intermediate of the chair'base and seatframe longitudinally thereof, the rocking action is easy, noiseless, and free from the jarring sometimes experienced when coilsprings are employed to connect the base and superstructure of a platform rocking-chair, while at the same time there is no appreciable strain on the attaching devices. Consequently these devices will not work loose in the woodwork of the chair.

Mortised in each seat-frame standard G is a cast-metal box E, having a longitudinallyslotted and centrally-notched face made fast to said standards by screws or other suitable means. Extending into each box E is'a crosshead 0, having a shank d, cast in one piece, witha plate F attachable to the under face of a side bar in the chair-seat D aforesaid. The shank d is made rounding upon its under side to seat in the box-face notch e, and a shouldered continuation f of the rounded shank under the cross-head 0, central of the latter, has rocking contact with the bottom of the box, the longitudinal box-face slot g permitting engagement of said cross-head with said box.

Arranged in each box E, under corner-ribs h on the under face of its top, is a fiat springplate G, that bears on the upper face of the cross-head c of shank d, ext-ending from the plate F above specified.

The sides of the chair-seat being in springcontrolled rocking connection with the seatframe standards, said seat is horizontal when the chair is unoccupied, but will automatically conform to various changes of position of a person in said chair, thereby contributing to greater ease and comfort.

The back-standards Gof the chair may be connected to the seat-frame standard by any suitable means, but it is preferable, as herein shown, to employ cast-metal plates H, having upper outwardly-extending horizontal lips 71 that overlap the upper edges of said seat-frame standards, and lower inwardlyextending horizontal lips 'i, that serve as rests for said back-standards. The plates III are held to place intermediate of the seat-frame and back-standards by screws, and each screw is run through a back-standard and plate into a seat-frame standard, as shown in Fig. 3. Consequently there is no exposure of said screw exteriorly of the chair. The thickness of the castings II is such that the width of the back-frame is restricted to such adimension that it will readily nest in the seatframe or base when the chair is packed for shipment or storage, this being one of the important features of my improvements, as it provides for considerable economyin the matter of space occupied by the knockdown chair.

Mortised in the back-standards G are boxes I, similar tothe ones E above specified, and a flat spring J, arranged in each boxI against corner-ribsj, exerts pressure on the flat face of a rocking cross-head 7c of a shank extending outward from a plate K, made fast to a stile of the chair-back section L, this construction and arrangement of parts being best illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 0. The cross-heads 7c are placed in working position through longitudinal slots 11?, in the boxes I, and the shanks 7c engage notches n, comm unicating with said slots central of the boxfaces.

The back-section L being inspring-controlled rocking conncctionwith the standards G, it will readily yield under pressure, and thereby automatically conform to varying posit-ions of an occupant of the chair, thus rendering the latter more comfortable and easy, especially when said back-section cooperates with a spring-controlled rocking seat, such as has been described in the foregoing.

The back-standards are connected to the seat-frame by arms M, and although the latter are shown curved they may be of any suitable pattern.

Secured to the inner face of each backstandard G, at the upper end of the same, is a preferably dovetailed socket N, having a detachable cap P, that is also secured to said standard. The sockets are for the engagement of correspondingly-shaped ends of a stationary back-section Q, and the caps P prevent accidental displacement of said backsection, said caps being provided with side flanges 1), that overlap said sockets, and the tangs q of said caps are preferably of such dimensions and contour as to overlap the up per extremities of the back-standards, these tan gs being herein shown provided with apertures in their upper horizontal portions (as well as in their vertical portions) for the engagement of holding-screws.

By providing the cap-tangs with apertured horizontal extensions that overlap the upper extremities of the back-standards the caps may be readily fastened to said standards in case,as sometimes happens, the stationary back-section is of such proportions as to extend to an elevation greater than the aforesaid standards and make it inconvenient to fasten the vertical portions of said tangs. This refers to such stationary back-sections as have ornamental upper edges rising higher at the center than elsewhere, the designing of these back-sections being such that clearance for the caps is had above the sockets.

It is practical to omit the horizontal portions of the cap-tangs, especially when the stationary chair-back sections are not proportioned to extend above the back-standards of a set-up chair, as herein shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a chair, the combination of standards embodied therein, boxes joined to the stand ards, a movable section of the chair, plates joined to the movable section and provided with shanks having rocker extremities operative in the boxes, and springs arranged in said boxes under tension against the rocker extremities of said plate-shanks.

2. In. a chair, the combination of standards embodied-therein, mortise-boxes in the standards provided with inner ribs, spring-plates under tension against the ribs, a movable section of the chair, and rocker-shanks extended from the movable section to engage said boxesagainst the spring-plates therein.

3. In a chair the combination of a seatframe and back-frame, with cast-metalplates having upper outwardly-extended horizontal lips overlapping upper edges of the seatframe standards and lower inwardly-extended horizontal lips constituting rests for the back frame standards, together with screws each of which is run through a back-standard and plate into a seat-frame standard, the thickness of said plates being such that the Width of the back-frame is restricted to such dimension that it will readilynest in the seat-frame or base of the chair when the latter is packed knockdown.

4. In a chair, the combination of backstandards, socket-castings fast on the standards, a back-section in detachable engagement with the castings, and caps for said castings having tangs overlapping upper extremities of said standards to which they are secured.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

M. XV. NEUENS.

NVitnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, B. O. RoLoFF. 

